1. Field
Embodiments of the invention relate to form documents. More specifically, embodiments of the invention relate to the digital processing and completion of form documents.
2. Related Art
Various entities require the completion of form documents in furtherance of business, government, or charitable purposes. To streamline and ease the completion of these forms, many forms are available in an electronic format. The electronic formats of documents, such as the Portable Document Format (“PDF”), allow a user to type required information onto the form instead of handwriting the information.
There are a number of drawbacks in form processing and completion of the prior art. First, systems of the prior art require that the user identify and select the proper PDF form from a data store. Some entities, such as government agencies, produce a plethora of forms having multiple variations and versions. Often the user has a copy, either physical or digital, of the necessary form that was supplied to them. Nonetheless, they must locate another copy from a data store. Second, systems of the prior art require the user to enter all information manually, even though the majority of the necessary information to complete the form is already known by the system or available on previously submitted form documents. Third, systems of the prior art do not generate a perfect copy of the form document but instead independently create a PDF form for completion. These independently created forms may not be true to the original and may be outdated or of another variation of the form. This requires the user to visually ensure that the form they are completing is identical to their supplied form document.